Curling fixture



Aug. 1, 1967 J. A. REBSAMEN GURLING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug.

INVENTOR. JOHN A. REBSAMEN MJM ATTORNEY J. A- REBSAMEN CURLING FIXTURE Aug. 1, 1967 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Aug. ."5, 1965 INVENTOR. JOHN A. REBSAMEN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,333,449 CURLING FIXTURE John A. Rebsamen, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 476,932 6 Claims. (Cl. 72-93) This invention relates to a metal bending or forming device and more particularly to a device for forming an enclosed curled edge.

Bending and crimping rolls have been employed for curing and beading metal edges. Rolls are suitable for linear shapes or for symmetrical shapes, but heretofore rolls were'not generally suitable for forming an enclosed curled edge on an odd shaped object. Such edges have usually been formed in complex mating die systems.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel edge forming machine for shaping an enclosed curled edge on an odd shaped object.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel forming device having a feed roll and cooperating bending shoe operable independent of the shape of the object being formed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device having a novel combined feed and forming roll cooperating with a thin concave shaped bending shoe structure.

The above and other novel objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment showing the device of the present invention forming the vertical upturned flanged edge of a wheelbarrow pan;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section in elevation of the novel device showing the forming structure in a retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a section in elevation of the device of FIG. 2 showing the forming structure in the working position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional plane view taken at lines 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing the horizontal profile of the feed roll and bending shoe;

FIGS. 5A to 5B are sections of the flange of the wheelbarrow showing the different forming stages that occur before, during and after the operation performed by the device of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a flat support table having an edge guide and pivot support means thereon; a housing or head carrier is mounted on the pivot support means and vertically and pivotably movable relative thereto; a shoe lever is horizontally slidably mounted in the head carrier and movable by power means connected to one end of the lever; a bending shoe is attached to the other end of the lever and extends vertically downward therefrom, the shoe has a vertical profile shaped to the desired contour to be imparted to a vertical upturned edge of an object, the face of the shoe has a convex horizontal profile; a bushing is mounted on the head carrier and extends through a slot in the shoe lever; a drive shaft extends through the bushing and is connected to a combined feed and bending roll, the roll has both a serrated feed face and a curved annular bending face; both of the roll faces have a vertical profile matching the vertical profile of the bending shoe; power means lower the head carrier and associated parts and engage the upturned flange of the object between said roll and said shoe; and drive means rotate the shaft causing the upturned edge of the object to be simultaneously fed and bent between said roll and said shoe.

A complete forming device with associated drive and sequencing equipment is shown in FIG. 1. Wheelbar-row pan 11 is supported on support table 12 and is free 3,333,449 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 to move in a horizontal plane thereon permitting the vertical upturned flanged edge 13 to be simultaneously fed and formed by the novel roll and shoe structure. In practice, when inserting or removing an object, the wheelbarrow pan 11 is positioned on the support table 12 so that the vertical upturned flanged edge 13 is located against an edge guide 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

Housing 15, shown in FIG. 2 in its retracted position, is provided with a pivot pin 16 mounted in pivot support 17. Shoe lever 18 is slidably mounted in housing 15 and provided with power means 19 attached at one end of the lever and a downward extending bending shoe 21, having a concave face 22, is attached at the other end. A bushing 23 is mounted in an aperture in. the housing and extends through a slot in the shoe lever. Drive shaft 24 is mounted through bushing 23 and terminates opposite bending shoe 21. A roll 25 having a serrated drive face 26 and an annular bending face 27 is attached to the drive shaft 24 by suitable means, such as pin 28 shown.

When the roll 25 and bending shoe 21 are in the retracted position, the bending shoe 21 and shoe lever 18 are moved to the right relative to the axis of drive shaft 24. When housing 15, shoe lever 18, bending shoe 21 and roll 25 are dropped to the operating position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, the upturned edge 13 is positioned between the roll 25 and the bending shoe 21. Shoe lever 18 is moved to its operating position as shown in FIG. 3 by power means 19. Application of rotational force by the drive and sequencing equipment 10 acting through drive shaft 24 and roll 25 will automatically feed and simultaneously form the upward extending vertical edge 13 of, the wheelbarrow pan 11. After the upturned edge 13 has been formed along its complete length the drive means may be stopped, power means 19 released, and the housing 15 again returned to its retracted position so that the wheelbarrow pan 11 may be taken out of the forming device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional plane view of the roll 25 and the bending shoe 21 showing the upturned edge 13 being simultaneously fed and formed therebetween. It will be noted that the horizontal profile of the roll 25 has a convex shaped face 29 coacting with a convex shaped face 31 of the bending shoe. Faces 29 and 31 permit the vertical upturned edge 13 to pivot through a small angle and yet form the edge to the same shape. Housing 15 being pivotally mounted on pivot support 17 permits the roll 25 and the bending shoe 21 to move in a manner which automatically tends to realign the upturned vertical edge 13 to a central position between the roll and the bending shoe, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, it is apparent that a vertical flanged edge of a random shaped object will automatically be fed and formed by the novel device. In actual practice it was found that the novel structure would turn very sharp corners of a wheelbarrow pan which has substantially sharp or rectangular corners at the rearmost vertical wall. Adding greater curvature to the convex shaped face of the bending shoe and employing a shoe relatively narrow and short in length will enable greater adaptability to other objects.

To better understand the problem solved by the present invention the forming steps of the wheelbarrow pan 11 are illustrated. FIG. 5A shows the horizontal flange 32 of the wheelbarrow pan 11 after the blank is formed and the pan is removed from the first deep forming step. FIG. 5B shows the horizontal flange 32' after it is trimmed in the trim dies. FIG. 5C shows the trimmed flange 32' reverse folded to provide the vertical upturned edge 13. FIG. 5E shows the curled shape 33 which is desired in the finished product. If the reversed fold, shown in FIG. 5C, has a vertical force F applied to the top edge, as shown in FIG. 5C, the vertical extended edge 13 will react as a thin column and buckle under the load. If a non horizontal force F is applied to the vertical extending edge 13, as shown in FIG. 5C, the edge will react as a cantilever beam and bend from the base or point of attachment at the pan 11. Thus, it is apparent that die forming procedures heretofore employed would not provide the desired shape shown in FIG. 5E. When the formed shape, shown in FIG. 5D, is provided, conventional curling dies can be employed to curl the edge resulting in the desired structure shown in FIG. 5B. A force F now acting on the vertical edge will cause an outward horizontal force F which is the correct direction to cause a curling effect without buckling.

It has been discovered that nipping or forming the upper edge of the vertical flange 13 without collapsing or bending the intermediate vertical portion results in a curl 33 which is completely smooth and substantially free of wrinkles. Further, the curled shape may be made substantially larger and more symmetrical in roundness and shape than shapes heretofore obtained from conventional curling dies. Moreover, the novel structure of the present invention is not only cheaper and more reliable than curling dies as a first cost, the structure is adapted to numerous shapes by replacement of the novel bending level and cooperating bending shoe and roll.

It is understood that minor modifications and changes may be made in the shapes of the rolls and shoes and that the shoes and rolls may be adapted for ease of change to form different objects.

Having explained a preferred embodiment structure, the present invention should be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for forming an upturned vertical edge on a pan comprising: a supporting table, a housing mounted on said table, a shoe lever slidably mounted in said housing, said lever being provided with a slot therein, a bending shoe attached to one end of said shoe lever and projecting downwardly therefrom, said shoe having a concave vertical profile, a drive shaft extending through said housing and through said slot in said shoe lever, a roll connected to said drive shaft, said roll having a serrated feed face and a curved annular bending face juxtaposed said bending shoe, power means connected to said shoe lever adapted to clamp said vertical edge on a pan between said roll and said bending shoe, and drive means connected to said drive shaft for simultaneously feeding and bending said vertical edge between said roll and said bending shoe.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the working face of said bending shoe is provided with a vertical profile shaped to the desired contour to be imparted to the upturned vertical edge, and is further provided with a convex horizontal profile.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said housing is pivotably mounted on said table to permit said housing to pivot said roll and said bending shoe relative to said upturned vertical edge.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said drive means is further provided with means for raising said roll connected to said drive shaft to release or embrace said vertical edge.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein said supporting table is further provided with an edge guide thereon to position said upturned vertical edge intermediate said roll and said shoe.

6. A device for forming a curl in the end of an upturned vertical edge of a wheelbarrow pan comprising: a table for supporting said wheelbarrow, a housing supported above said table, a horizontally slidable shoe lever mounted in said housing, a bending shoe on one end of said shoe lever, a driven roll rotatably mounted on said housing opposite said bending shoe, said bending shoe and said roll being provided with complementary shaped working faces in their vertical axis and convex opposed working faces in their horizontal axis, a serrated feed face on said roll, and drive means connected to said roll simultaneously feeding and forming a vertical edge of a wheelbarrow pan between said roll and said bending shoe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,691 5/1907 Duquett 7282 1,304,938 5/1919 Brinkman 721 17 2,264,060 11/1941 Whyte 7282 2,357,793 9/1944 Clark 7282 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR FORMING AN UPTURNED VERTICAL EDGE ON A PAN COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING TABLE, A HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE, A SHOE LEVER SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID LEVER BEING PROVIDED WITH A SLOT THEREIN, A BENDING SHOE ATTACHED TO ONE END OF SAID SHOE LEVER AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID SHOE HAVING A CONCAVE VERTICAL PROFILE, A DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOUSING AND THROUGH SAID SLOT IN SAID SHOE LEVER, A ROLL CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID ROLL HAVING A SERRATED FEED FACE AND CURVED ANNULAR BENDING FACE JUXTAPOSED SAID BENDING SHOE, POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHOE LEVER ADAPTED TO CLAMP SAID VERTICAL EDGE ON A PAN BETWEEN SAID ROLL AND SAID BENDING SHOE, AND DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO SIMULTANEOUSLY FEEDING AND BENDING SAID VERTICAL EDGE BETWEEN SAID ROLL AND SAID BENDING SHOE. 